The South Korean government has begun implementing its seven SEED projects, a set of technologies designated as future growth engines.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) said on the 22nd that it held an interagency meeting on the seven SEED projects at the conference hall of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, chaired by Park In-kyu, head of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation. The meeting was arranged to flesh out core goals for each field of the projects, and was attended by the presidential secretary for science and technology research as well as director-general-level officials from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, among other presidential office and government agency participants.
In August this year, at a public briefing presided over by President Lee Jae-myung, the government announced a cross-government project to develop seven advanced technologies as national future growth engines: small modular reactors (SMRs), nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum, aerospace, advanced bio and advanced supply chains.
At the meeting, participants worked to specify the core missions and performance targets to be achieved in each field and discussed ways to link them with research and development programs and investment plans. They also exchanged views on making comprehensive use of policy tools, including support for demonstration and commercialization and improvements to regulations and systems, so that the results of technology development can be applied in real-world industrial settings.
MSIT plans to draw up implementation strategies for each field this year based on the discussions. "The seven SEED projects are a shared national mission to secure core national strategic assets and next-generation growth engines by bringing together government investment and the commercialization capabilities of the private sector," Park said. "We will actively use available policy tools, such as giving priority in budget allocation, linking projects to commercialization, and clearing regulatory and licensing hurdles, to support the projects in producing results."